Warriors Arise: May 26, 2021
John 20:19-23 (NKJV) Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Jesus' disciples had been with Him for over 3 years. They had seen miracle after miracle. They had heard Jesus tell them He had to die for the sins of the world but He wold rise again three days later. They had heard the message from the women, who went to the tomb that morning, they were to go and meet Jesus on the mountain in Galilee as He had told me before His death on the cross. But they were afraid.
Fear has a way of paralyzing us; it keeps us from doing what we know God has called us to do. However, God sent Jesus so we could be saved from our sin and death. Then Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to empower us to overcome the enemy that we may live in the freedom Jesus provided for us. God saw the Children of Israel live 430 years as slaves to fear under the heavy hand of Pharaoh. God destroyed the gods of Egypt and the power the Egyptians had over the Israelites. Then God set them free and had Moses lead them to the land God had promised them, the land flowing with milk and honey, planted vineyards and established them throughout the land. However, they did not embrace the freedom God gave them. They did not receive the gift God gave them. Fear has the ability to keep us in bondange that God has already conquered. The prison doors can be wide open but we do not go out.
Jesus had told the disciples before He died on the cross to meet Him on the mountain in Galilee. The angels at the tomb where Jesus had been laid told the women to tell the disciples to meet Jesus where He said and that He was alive. The disciples were in fear that stoked their unbelief. Even after Peter and John ran to the tomb to see what the women had told them, they returned to their home to ponder it. They were thinking, "What could this mean?" It means, they were in a prison of fear and unbelief. These kept them from going where Jesus told them to go and rejecting the message of the angels.
Jesus couldn't have spent all that time, doing all those miracles to have the 12 men He invested in remain in their prison and fear and unbelief. He returned and met them in their prison and He gave them something that would not only bring them freedom from the fear that paralyzed them, but also restored their faith.
John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus breathed on them. He released the Holy Spirit. The One who was given to Him when He was baptized. Breathe in and receive. This action was a deposit of what was to come. They all had seen Jesus get baptized. They were witnesses to the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus. They understood Jesus had authority because of the Father; however, He had courage to face the enemy because of the Holy Spirit. There are times when the disciples were sent out and Jesus gave them His authority but this time they didn't just need authority, they needed courage. They needed the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and counsel them.
John 20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
Does it not strike you as odd that Jesus told them this verse after releasing the Holy Spirit upon them? They needed to forgive themselves and then one another. Not one of them stood up and said, "Let's go to the mountain in Galilee to meet Jesus." They all heard the message, well all but Thomas. They needed courage, direction, and counsel from the Holy Spirit. They needed to be strong enough to forgive themselves. Once they could forgive themselves, they could avoid the trap of unbelief when others would not believe their testimony of Jesus.
Today was their day to receive courage as Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. But they would later have to have their own moment in time when they positioned themselves to receive the infilling and overflow of the Spirit of God just as Jesus had.
Father, this really rocks my mind! I am thankful for the authority and power given to me because of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, I could not be in fellowship with You. I would not be Your child. I am truly thankful. I want to know and fully understand the Holy Spirit. I want to have courage to kick fear in the face and move forward in the plans You have for me. I lift Your name and worship You alone. You are the One who opens closed doors. You are the One who puts dreams inside of us. You are the One who gives us Salvation from the enemy enslaving us. You are the One who gives the Holy Spirit, who pours into our lives and gives us courage, direction, and counsel to walk in all You have destined for us. I position myself today to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. One breath was not enough for the disciples to live out their destiny and it would be enough for me. I will receive the breath of the Holy Spirit. I position myself before You to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' name amen!
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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